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Director vs cinematographer

The differences between directors and cinematographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $72,245 average annual salary of a cinematographer.

The top three skills for a director include healthcare, customer service and oversight. The most important skills for a cinematographer are video production, cinema, and music videos.

Director vs cinematographer overview

DirectorCinematographer
Yearly salary$113,489$72,245
Hourly rate$54.56$34.73
Growth rate8%12%
Number of jobs230,7115,748
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4037
Years of experience6-

Director vs cinematographer salary

Directors and cinematographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

DirectorCinematographer
Average salary$113,489$72,245
Salary rangeBetween $66,000 And $192,000Between $43,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NY-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyMayo Clinic-
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between director and cinematographer education

There are a few differences between a director and a cinematographer in terms of educational background:

DirectorCinematographer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorBusinessPhotography
Most common collegeStanford UniversityJohns Hopkins University

Director vs cinematographer demographics

Here are the differences between directors' and cinematographers' demographics:

DirectorCinematographer
Average age4037
Gender ratioMale, 53.2% Female, 46.8%Male, 85.3% Female, 14.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 7.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage14%10%

Differences between director and cinematographer duties and responsibilities

Director example responsibilities.

  • Manage water metering programs for NYC and national portfolio.
  • Collaborate with the CPA to manage financials and reporting / distribution to physicians.
  • Manage OEM manufacturing partners for making bulk solutions, product fills and final packaging.
  • Lead company's first deep-fill structural project, bring company into EPA compliance, establish effective QA-QC program.
  • Develop company website entirely as well as wrote and manage the SEO and upkeep for overall site maintenance.
  • Manage the company's hotel portfolio operations and assets, including renovation, new build, conversions, and rebranding.
  • Show more

Cinematographer example responsibilities.

  • Manage equipment setup and on-site DVD sales.
  • Manage all principal photography and editing.
  • Used DSLR, macro, and underwater camera equipment to film wildlife in wood settings.
  • Create promotional videos for viewing on the Lily.B website, Facebook, YouTube, and other social networking sites.
  • Work together with DP Brian Hwang
  • Produce documentaries, reality shows and live events.
  • Show more

Director vs cinematographer skills

Common director skills
  • Healthcare, 10%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Human Resources, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%
Common cinematographer skills
  • Video Production, 15%
  • Cinema, 11%
  • Music Videos, 11%
  • DSLR, 10%
  • Adobe Creative Suite, 7%
  • Photography, 6%

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